


no thoughts, head empty

by jaemarked



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Fluff, Getting Together, House Party, M/M, Making Out, Pining, renjun pretty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28377444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaemarked/pseuds/jaemarked
Summary: Just Renjun Huang.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Mark Lee
Comments: 2
Kudos: 131
Collections: Twelve Days of ChristMark





	no thoughts, head empty

**Author's Note:**

> ayyy here's day three of christmark. i forgot to post this again lmao 
> 
> hope you enjoy

-

See the thing is.

_The thing is._

Mark doesn’t _really_ have a crush on Renjun, okay? 

He’s just really pretty, and handsome, and smart. And really talented. And did Mark mention that Renjun is smart? Because he is. 

When Renjun Huang came to SMC, Mark didn’t expect for him to be the talk of the town. He wasn’t outrageously gorgeous like Donghyuck, or charismatic and charming like Jaemin, or even devilishly handsome and down to earth like Jeno. But there’s something about Renjun that inexplicably draws you to him, and pretty soon he has the entire student body falling head over heels for him.

Mark, as the student association president, is one of those people, despite how much he tries to deny it. Renjun is just really admirable, okay? He’s wise for his age, and actually really mature. He’s friends with all the students, teachers, and even the teaching assistants from the university. He’s at the top of his grade, he’s hilarious, he’s good at sports (or, well, badminton at least) and he’s really kind.

But he doesn’t give Mark the time of day.

And that’s fine, _really,_ Mark’s not bitter _at all._

He just feels...a little bit insecure? Just a _little._ He tries not to let it affect him. At first he wonders if maybe it’s because he’s not in the same grade, but Renjun talks to Yukhei, Dejun, and Hendery just fine. He wonders if it’s the people he associates with, but Renjun likes talking to his friends. So maybe it’s Mark’s winning personality that Renjun dislikes.

He bumps into Renjun in Yuta’s kitchen, and almost immediately turns around, but he runs straight into Yukhei’s giant frame and ends up trapped in the kitchen.

“Hey, Renjun!” Yukhei greets.

Renjun looks up from his phone and arches a brow coolly. Mark seems to be the only one intimidated, because Dejun and Hendery just brush past him to join Yukhei at the table.

“What’s up?” Renjun asks, and he levels Mark with his gaze. Mark realizes he’s the only one still standing, so he approaches the kitchen table too, and ends up sitting right across from Renjun, who slides him a can of beer with a pretty half smile.

Yukhei engages him in an animated conversation, and Mark is content to just watch, poking his finger into drops of condensation. Renjun is in the same major as Dejun and Yukhei, and apparently in the same classes despite being a year younger because he graduated from high school early.

Dejun imitates one of their professors, and Renjun throws his head back in laughter. Mark can’t help but stare, his gaze sliding from Renjun’s rosy cheeks to the curve of his neck, down to the slopes of his collarbones peeking out from his thin white shirt.

When he looks up again, Renjun is watching him, a smirk playing on his lips. Mark immediately averts his eyes, but he can feel his face burn at the humiliating prospect of being caught. 

“What about you, Mark?” Dejun’s voice cuts through the haze in his mind, and Mark realizes that they’re all staring at him.

“Uh… sorry I totally blanked out. What was the question?”

Renjun laughs. “How do you know Yuta?”

“Oh, we’re in the same football club,” Mark answers, scratching the back of his head. 

“You play football?” 

“And basketball,” Yukhei says. “He’s point guard on our school’s team.” 

“Really, now.” Mark burns under Renjun’s gaze. “I might have to watch a game sometime.”

“Mark can get you tickets!” Yukhei says excitedly, and Mark nods despite himself. He always gets tickets for his friends, mostly because every member of the team is allowed to invite friends and family to every game, and Mark’s family is still at home, so he usually has tickets to spare.

“I’ll have to take you up on that offer,” Renjun says, and he smiles brightly at Mark in a way that warms his whole being. Renjun has never smiled at him like that before. 

“Yo! Starting a game of pong in the basement if y’all wanna play.” Yangyang pokes his head into the kitchen. Yukhei and Dejun immediately scramble to their feet, and Hendery follows closely behind them. Mark finally cracks open his beer, downing half of it one go. All the nervous sweating has made him thirsty.

“You’re not gonna play?” Renjun asks, and Mark shakes his head.

“I’m not that good,” he admits sheepishly. “My aim is kinda shitty. Also I’m a bit of a lightweight.”

“Me too,” Renjun says. “Wanna go with me to the basement?”

“Uh, sure.” Mark stands up from the table and follows Renjun through the living room to the hall and down the basement steps. He’s not sure what he’s expecting, but he nearly chokes on his spit when he realizes that all the popular guys from their uni are here, passing around a joint and watching a movie.

“Hey, it’s Renjun!” Johnny from the volleyball team shouts, waving Renjun over. Mark follows behind him, eyes wide. Renjun sits down on one of the unoccupied couches and pats the cushion next to him. Mark sits beside him and says a sheepish hello to Johnny, then Jaehyun and Doyoung who are from the university’s acapella group. Yuta’s there too, talking to Taeyong and Ten from the dance team. Mark feels way out of his depth, but Renjun seems to fit right in, jumping into the conversation as if he’d been there from the start.

Mark settles back against the arm of the couch and watches Renjun hold his own against Doyoung and Johnny in an argument, and he can’t help but marvel at how _cool_ Renjun is. Comfortable and confident in his own skin. 

“Hey, Mark.” He jumps when he hears Yuta behind him, having not noticed his approach. “You gotta stop staring, man. There’s no way he hasn’t noticed.”

“What?” Mark startles, turning to Yuta. “What are you talking about?

“Renjun Huang,” Yuta whispers. “You’re into him, aren’t you?”

“Yuta! Jeez,” Mark complains, his face burning. 

Yuta laughs delightedly. “I knew it1 I can tell by the way you look at him. Why don’t you go for it, little one?”

Mark sighs dejectedly. “He doesn’t seem to like me, I’m not gonna push it.”

“You may be right,” Yuta murmurs, “but I don’t think he would have brought you down here if he didn’t like you.”

Mark glances at Renjun wistfully before turning back to Yuta. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

Yuta pouts at that, but he’s distracted by Jaehyun calling him over. He winks at Mark before striding across the room, leaning over the back of Jaehyun’s couch to watch something on his phone. Mark watches them until he feels a touch on his shoulder, and when he turns his head, Renjun is waiting for him expectantly.

“I’m gonna get some air. Wanna come?” Renjun stands up from the couch, and the way he looks down his nose at Mark makes him feel hot to the core.

“Sure,” Mark says, getting up as well. He follows Renjun back upstairs, through the mess of bodies, and to the kitchen where Renjun steals a couple cans of Sprite and heads out to the backyard. The night air is crisp and cool against Mark’s heated skin, and he trails Renjun all the way to the back where the big oak tree sits. Mark leans against the trunk of the tree and Renjun hands him a Sprite. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” 

They sit in awkward silence, taking occasional sips of their respective drinks, before Renjun puts his can down, steps up to Mark, and takes his Sprite too, squatting to place it on the ground.

“Um…” Mark says.

Renjun sidles in closer. “Tell me if I’m reading the signs wrong.”

“Huh?” Mark probably looks dumb with his mouth hanging open, but Renjun’s so close that Mark can see every detail of his face despite the dim lighting. 

“You’re into me, right?” Renjun’s hands land on his torso and slide down until he can hook his fingers into Mark’s belt loops, and Mark finds himself being pulled in close until they’re barely an inch apart. “Because I am _really_ into you.”

“Uh…” Mark blinks. “Am I dreaming?”

Renjun laughs, though it doesn’t sound mean. “Do you often dream of me?”

“Yes,” Mark admits, and Renjun laughs again. Mark grins at him dopily.

“This isn’t a dream,” Renjun tells him. “Can I kiss you? Yes or no?”

“Yes,” Mark says, and Renjun hauls him in. 

It might not be a dream, but Renjun kisses like one, hot and wet and demanding right from the start. He tastes like Sprite and vodka when he pushes his tongue into Mark’s mouth and shoves him back against the tree. Mark doesn’t even notice the bark scraping up his back through his shirt, too busy chasing Renjun’s lips.

He’s been thinking about kissing Renjun for a long time, and now that he’s started, he doesn’t want to stop.

“My place or yours?” Renjun says against his lips, and Mark’s brain stutters to a halt.

“What?” He asks, still trying to process the last five minutes. 

Renjun laughs again and presses a short kiss to his lips. He sounds ridiculously fond, and Mark can’t believe he thought Renjun wasn’t into him.

“Take me home, Mark Lee.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/jaemarking)  
> [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/jaemarked)


End file.
